


Dear Partner

by artikgato



Category: Persona 4
Genre: M/M, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:59:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28165140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artikgato/pseuds/artikgato
Summary: “Can you hear me alright, Partner?” he asked, and Yu nodded. “Okay, good. I’d adjust your volume now if you need to.” Yu nodded again, turning the volume just slightly up so that he could hear better. He watched his boyfriend shift around a little more before seeming to land on a good position, and then he cleared his throat.“So, uh, this is a song I’ve been practicing for a while,” he said. “I hope you like it. And don’t make fun of my English, okay?”“Of course not,” Yu said, and Yosuke nodded. Yu watched as his eyes slipped closed and he took a deep breath, exhaled, and started playing.
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Persona 4 Protagonist, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31
Collections: Souyo Secret Santa Gift Exchange 2020





	Dear Partner

**Author's Note:**

  * For [harenchiou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/harenchiou/gifts).



> The prompt I chose was: 
> 
> "Yosuke serenades Yu with a guitar song he wrote as a Christmas gift. It does not necessarily need lyrics (because music is hard to write lmao) and I welcome existing songs too"
> 
> Obviously I do not own "Hey There Delilah" by Plain White T's
> 
> Fun fact: one of the albums you can see on Yosuke's bedroom wall in Persona 4 Arena is the 2008 Grammy Award Nominees album, and "Hey There Delilah" was actually on it! I don't actually know if in 2013 that song was still being widely played but I hear it occasionally on the radio even now in the future year of 2020, so...
> 
> PS: I hope you like it, Hal!

**December 25th, 2013 - Afternoon**

It was just after 2pm when Yu finally,  _ finally _ got the text he’d been expecting.

From: Partner

>calling u in a few

All morning and afternoon he’d been getting texts and calls from his friends back in Japan wishing him a Merry Christmas, asking him how things were going in New York, lamenting that he couldn’t be with them in Inaba… 

He’d heard from everyone so far aside from his parents (expected) and a certain Yosuke Hanamura. He loved all of his friends and family dearly, but if he was being honest with himself he was the most excited to talk to Yosuke. They were dating, after all, albeit it was a very long-distance relationship right now. It was natural that he’d be the most excited to talk to his boyfriend. His boyfriend, he had to keep reminding himself, who was probably just now getting back from a long, exhausting Christmas Eve shift at Junes. It wasn’t the Inaba Junes now but instead one of many in Tokyo, but Yu had no doubts at all that the work was as hard as ever.

It was a little after 11 pm in Tokyo right now. Junes usually closed at 9pm on Christmas Eve. Yu winced at that realization, and hurriedly responded to the text.

>calling u in a few

>> Take your time!

That being said, even though he encouraged Yosuke to take his time he still nigh obsessively refreshed Skype for the next few minutes until he got the incoming call notification, and then his computer screen was filled with the excited, if tired, face of his wonderful boyfriend.

“Partner!” Yosuke greeted, his lovely voice sounding unfortunately a little tinny due to the distance it was travelling. Souji only minded a little.

“Yosuke,” he answered, with a soft grin. “It’s good to see you.”

“Sorry it took so long to call. I hope you weren’t waiting too long?” Yosuke asked, looking anxious.

“Not really,” Yu lied. “Did you have to work late?”

“Ugh,  _ yeah, _ ” Yosuke complained. “There were  _ sooo _ many customers that stayed after we closed!” He groaned and leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh. “I’m just glad to see a friendly face after today. Ugh. The paycheck will be worth it, but at what cost?”

“I think it’s really admirable that you’re working so hard even while you’re in college,” Yu replied, and Yosuke sighed again.

“Enough about that! I wanna forget that work exists for the next few days. I’ve got the 26th and 27th off too, because of how far I have to travel to go home to Inaba,” Yosuke explained.

“That’s good,” Yu replied. 

“Sucks that you couldn’t get enough time to come home to Inaba too,” Yosuke said. He sat forward in his seat and faced the camera on his computer directly. “I really miss you. Everybody does.”

“Yeah…” Yu said, with a sigh. “I know. But it’s only for three more years. And I’ll still be able to come home for the summer, you know.”

“But that’s in, like,  _ months _ ,” Yosuke whined. Then he shook his head. “Agh! Never mind that, too! I wanted this call to be cheerful,  _ dammit _ .”

“Sorry,” Yu replied, with a smirk. 

“You better be sorry,” Yosuke returned with a matching smirk. “Anyway, did you get your present yet? When I dropped it off at the post office, they weren’t 100% sure it’d make it all the way to you in time, so…”

Yu reached over and picked up a small box that was sitting just out of Yosuke’s field of view. 

“I did. I got the presents from everyone in Inaba, too,” Yu explained, moving a small box wrapped in light blue wrapping paper into the frame for Yosuke to see. 

“Oh, good! I’m glad they all made it in time,” Yosuke replied.

“Can I open this now?” Yu asked, and Yosuke nodded.

“Yeah, and I’ll get everything ready for the other half of the present,” he said. Yu stopped, blinking.

“Other half?” Yu asked. 

“I’ll explain later, just open that now, okay!” Yosuke replied. He then disappeared out of frame, leaving Yu with a view of Yosuke’s bedroom as he shuffled around off screen. Yu turned to the gift, carefully unwrapping it and opening the completely plain cardboard box, only to find a pair of very familiar headphones. 

“Yosuke, these are—” Yu started, and Yosuke poked his head back into the frame.

“Those are the ones I used to wear all the time in the TV world,” Yosuke explained. “I thought about just getting you a pair of new ones but uh… well, you’ll see! They’ve got a lot of dents and scrapes, but they still work great. ...I hope you don’t mind? ”

“Of course I don’t,” Yu breathed, turning them over in his hands. “I just… They mean a lot to you, don’t they? Are you sure you want me to have them?”

“Of course!” Yosuke said, disappearing off-screen again. “I want you to have them  _ because _ they mean so much to me. And because I need you to have a pair of nice, high-quality headphones for the other half of my present.”

“Huh?” Yu asked.

“Can you put them on and plug them in for me, Partner?” Yosuke’s voice asked. Yu did so, plugging them into the auxiliary port on his laptop and putting them over his ears. He’d worn Yosuke’s headphones a few times back when he’d been in Inaba for the school year. Back then they had been just friends and nothing more, not like now. They fit snugly over his ears. He patiently waited, hearing with much more clarity how Yosuke was shuffling around just off camera. All of a sudden, almost triumphantly, Yosuke set a microphone down on his desk and plopped himself back down into his chair, settling his guitar across his lap. He had a new, different pair of headphones over his own ears, sleek and black and seemingly wireless. 

Yu sat up, now  _ very _ interested. Although Yosuke had owned the guitar even back when the Investigation had been happening, Yu had never once been able to convince Yosuke to play it for him. He’d had plenty of excuses — “oh, I’m not very good” or “I don’t really know any songs” or “I’d just bore you”. Now Yosuke was gripping the guitar with intent and adjusting the microphone.

“Can you hear me alright, Partner?” he asked, and Yu nodded. “Okay, good. I’d adjust your volume now if you need to.” Yu nodded again, turning the volume just slightly up so that he could hear better. He watched his boyfriend shift around a little more before seeming to land on a good position, and then he cleared his throat.

“So, uh, this is a song I’ve been practicing for a while,” he said. “I hope you like it. And don’t make fun of my English, okay?” 

“Of course not,” Yu said, and Yosuke nodded. Yu watched as his eyes slipped closed and he took a deep breath, exhaled, and started playing. 

Yu recognized the song instantly. It was on the radio in New York all the time, and he was certain that he’d heard it in Yosuke’s rotation of music at least once or twice before. Yosuke was playing the melody pretty flawlessly, fingers working over the chords quite beautifully.

And then he started to sing.

Yu had never heard Yosuke sing before, but he’d always had a feeling that he’d sound good if he did. His expectations were blown away — he didn’t just sound good, he sounded  _ fantastic _ . 

_ Hey there, dear Partner _

_ What’s it like in New York City? _

_ I’m six thousand miles away _

_ But tonight you look so handsome _

_ Yes, you do _

_ Times Square can’t shine as bright as you _

_ I swear, it’s true _

Yu was impressed by the fact that Yosuke understood the lyrics well enough to change them to fit their situation. His English was accented but he had improved a lot since high school, that was certain. There was a very cute blush on his cheeks as he kept singing.

_ Hey there, dear Partner _

_ Don’t you worry about the distance _

_ I’m right there if you get lonely _

_ Give this song another listen _

_ Close your eyes _

_ Listen to my voice, it’s my disguise _

_ I’m by your side _

Yu found himself studying every available inch of Yosuke’s face as he moved into the chorus, hoping to be able to commit this experience to memory for the next time he missed his Partner — which was often, nowadays.

_ Oh, it’s what you do to me, oh _

_ It’s what you do to me _

_ Oh, it’s what you do to me, oh _

_ It’s what you do to me _

_ What you do to me _

Yosuke took a breath and happened to look up, locking eyes with Yu. His blush intensified and he ducked his head, but to his credit he didn’t miss a single note on the guitar. 

_ Hey there, dear Partner _

_ I know times are getting hard _

_ But just believe me, man _

_ Someday I’ll pay the bills with this guitar _

_ We’ll have it good _

_ We’ll have the life we knew we would _

_ My word is good _

_ Hey there, dear Partner _

_ I’ve got so much left to say _

_ If every simple song I wrote to you _

_ Would take your breath away _

_ I’d write it all _

_ Even more in love with me you’d fall _

_ We’d have it all _

Yosuke’s eyes fluttered closed as he moved into the second chorus, hands never faltering on the guitar. Yu just sat, enraptured and, as Yosuke had said, falling even more in love with him than he’d thought previously possible.

_ Oh, it’s what you do to me, oh _

_ It’s what you do to me _

_ Oh, it’s what you do to me, love  _

_ It’s what you do to me _

He opened his eyes and looked up, now, catching Yu’s gaze with his own as he kept singing.

_ Six thousand miles seems pretty far _

_ But they’ve got planes and trains and cars _

_ I’d swim to you if I had no other way _

_ Our friends would all make fun of us _

_ And we’ll just laugh along because we know _

_ That none of them have felt this way _

_ Dear Partner I can promise you _

_ That by the time that we get through _

_ The world will never ever be the same _

_ And you’re to blame _

_ Hey there dear Partner _

_ You be good and don’t you miss me _

_ Three more years and we’ll be done with school _

_ And we’ll me making history like we do _

_ You’ll know it’s all because of you _

_ We can do whatever we want to _

_ Hey there dear Partner here’s to you _

_ This one’s for you _

Yu could see the excitement building on Yosuke’s face as he moved into the third and final chorus, as if he himself couldn’t believe that he’d made it this far into the song without a single missed note or cracked syllable.

_ Oh, it’s what you do to me, oh _

_ It’s what you do to me _

_ Oh, it’s what you do to me, oh _

_ It’s what you do to me, oh _

_ Oh, whoa _

_ Oh, whoa oh _

_ Oh _

Yu held his breath as Yosuke finished the last few notes of the song, before finally lifting his hand away from his guitar and pressing a key on his computer’s keyboard. Yu was totally in awe of what had just happened. He wished he’d somehow been recording it, to be honest.

“So, what did you think?” Yosuke asked. He sounded confident, but there was an underlying nervousness. Yu swallowed.

“Yosuke, that was incredible,” Yu said. Yosuke blushed.

“You’re exaggerating,” he accused, but Yu shook his head.

“No! I’m really not. That was the best Christmas gift I’ve ever gotten,” he said. Yosuke made a face.

“Oh, stop!” he said.

“I’m serious,” Yu retorted, shaking his head. “Yosuke, that song comes on the radio here all the time, I’ve heard it a lot. You played it  _ perfectly _ . And I liked the way you changed the lyrics.”

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Yeah. Your English has gotten really good, by the way,” Yu continued. Yosuke looked pleased.

“I’ve been practicing a lot,” he said.

“I can tell,” Yu said. Now it was his turn to look shy. “By the way… did you record that, just now?”

“I did,” Yosuke confirmed, with a smile. “Want me to send it to you?” 

“Please,” Yu answered. 

”Okay, give me just a second,” Yosuke said as he clicked around on his screen with his mouse.

“I might make it my ringtone,” Yu teased, and Yosuke snapped his attention back to Yu.

“Don’t you dare!” he explained. Yu laughed.

“Okay, I won’t. But I’ll listen to it whenever I get lonely,” Yu answered. A tender, dreamy smile made its way onto Yosuke’s face. Yu was totally enamoured by it.

“Promise?” he asked, and Yu nodded.

“Promise,” he said. Yosuke beamed as he finished what he was doing, entering Yu’s email address and clicking send. Yu’s phone made a ding, confirming that he’d sent it over.

“By the way, is that microphone new?” Yu asked. “And the headphones?”

“Early Christmas gift from Dad,” Yosuke explained, and Yu must have looked as surprised as he felt, because Yosuke laughed. “Yeah, I was surprised too, considering how much flack he gave me for my major. But between my grades and how much my boss at Junes has apparently been bragging to him about my work ethic, I think I finally convinced him that me choosing to major in music isn’t a waste of time and money.”

“Good,” Yu replied. “You said some day you’ll pay the bills with that guitar — I’m gonna hold you to it.”

“Well I mean…” Yosuke looked like he was torn between being flattered and embarrassed. “I don’t know about all that. I’m majoring in composition, not performance!”

“You should send the song to Rise,” Yu said. “She’s got connections. She could probably get you an audition somewhere.”

“But—” Yosuke started to protest, but Yu interrupted him.

“I’m being serious, Yosuke. You sounded really good. I know I’m obviously biased, but it’s the truth,” Yu argued. Yosuke just shook his head and shrugged.

“Well, I’m glad you liked it. I’ve been working on it for months!” Yosuke said. 

“I did like it. It certainly makes my own Christmas gift seem thoughtless in comparison,” Yu said. Yosuke perked up instantly, looking like an over-eager puppy at the mention of a gift.

“Oh, you got me something?!” he asked. Yu laughed at how eager he was.

“Your parents should have it. I sent it a while back and asked them to hide it from you. I got something for Teddie, too,” he said.

“Ooh, what is it? No, wait, don’t tell me! I’ll text you tomorrow when I open it!” Yosuke said. He suddenly seemed to realize what time it was, because he grimaced. “Ugh, speaking of that… I’ve gotta get ready for bed. I’m on the train to Inaba first thing in the morning…”

“Go get some rest,” Yu said, with a smile.

“I’m glad you liked the song,” Yosuke replied. He looked reluctant to hang up the call.

“I really did. I’m going to listen to it a bunch today,” Yu replied. “It’s getting late over there in Tokyo, right? Get some sleep.” 

“Okay, if you insist…” Yosuke said. He suddenly looked a little bashful. “Alright. Good night, Partner. Er, I guess it’s afternoon there, uh… good afternoon, Partner.”

“Good night, Yosuke. Sweet dreams,” Yu replied.

“I’ll try to dream of you,” Yosuke joked, with a wink. “Uh, yeah. Bye, Partner. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I… uh. I- Iloveyou.” 

Yu couldn’t help the way he beamed at Yosuke in response, who now looked extremely flustered.

“I know. I love you too, Yosuke,” he answered. Yosuke made a face at him.

“You always make it look like it’s so easy to say it,” he accused. “Anyway, good night.” 

And with that, he hung up. Yu closed out the window, then carefully took the headphones off and put them down beside his laptop. He retrieved his phone and, without even thinking about it twice, he made the mp3 Yosuke had sent his new ringtone. Yosuke would never find out, right?

He busied himself with putting the song on his mp3 player, then plugging Yosuke’s old headphones into it and playing it on repeat for the rest of the day. It made the fact that he was 6700 miles away from his friends and family a little more bearable. 

_ Hey there, Dear Partner _

_ What’s it like in New York City? _


End file.
